Shizuka Gozen, Yamaji no tsuzumikusa (Shizuka Gozen, Dandelion) / Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen 當盛見立 三十六花撰 (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers (Immortals of Poetry))

Shizuka Gozen, Yamaji no tsuzumikusa (Shizuka Gozen, Dandelion) belongs to Utagawa Kunisada's Tosei mitate sanju-rokkasen (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to Thirty-Six Flowers / Immortals of Poetry), in which a leading Edo kabuki actor in the role of Shizuka Gozen is paired with a classical poetic immortal and with the dandelion (tsuzumikusa, literally 'drum-head grass') of the mountain road. Shizuka, the shirabyoshi dancer and beloved consort of the tragic hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune, recurs through kabuki and bunraku as one of the most poignant female roles in the repertoire; her dance scenes invariably feature the tsuzumi drum, which makes the floral allusion to tsuzumikusa especially fitting. Kunisada, the dominant designer of yakusha-e in nineteenth-century Edo ukiyo-e, presents the onnagata figure with the long oval face, refined makeup, elaborate hair, and patterned outer robe associated with his mature bijin-ga manner. The title cartouche and flower cartouche at top integrate the print into the series. The British Museum impression made available on ukiyo-e.org supports study of Kunisada's classical-popular mitate practice. Source: ukiyo-e.org / British Museum (https://ukiyo-e.org/image/bm/AN00431614_001_l).